Wind instrument



June 5, 1923.

A. F. FAI RCHILD WIND INSTRUMENT Filed Oct. 24, 1921 lllllllillllimPatented June 5, 1923.

ALSON F. FAIRCHILD, OF ELKI-IORN, WISCONSIN.

WIND INSTRUMENT.

Application filed October 24, 1921. Serial No. 510,182.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALSON F. FAIRCHILD,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Elkhorn, in the county ofW'alworth and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in lVind In struments; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inventionsuch as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to musical wind instruments, of the comet andhorn type, and the object of the invention is to simplify and improvethe construction of the airvalves and correlated parts of suchinstruments.

As usually constructed, cornets and other wind instruments of this typeare provided with three or more cylinders fitted with pistonsmanipulated bv the .fingers, and each pierced with three air-passagesthrough which the air is transmitted to different looped air-pipes ofthe instrument as the istons are moved in or out. These air-passages aredisposed in peculiar ways, diagonal to the pistons, no two of which arealike. To accurately form the ports or air-passages is a matter ofnicety and difficulty, and adds very considerably to the cost in themanufacture of the instrument. In my improved construction the pistonsare all alike, and each has but two, easily formed conduits.

The invention is fully disclosed in the description and claimsfollowing, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a wind instrument embodying my invention,with the mouth-piece and bell end omitted. Fig. 2 is a plan view of thesame, as seen from below. Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of one of thepistons, the cylinder being in section. Fig. 4 IS a vertical section ofthe middle piston, its cylinder and connected pipes. Fig. 5 is a similarsection, showing a modification in the construction of the piston. Fig.6 shows in section another modification, in which the slide-valve is afiat plate, with attached tubular loops.

In the drawing, the numerals 1, 2 and 3 denote the cylinders of the mostcommon type of horn, to which the mouth-piece, bellpipe and the severallooped pipes connect. The piston and cylinder are fitted telescopically,as shown. They may be, respectively,

oi? identical form and structure, and are pierced at 4, 5, 6 and 7 withaligned and equally spaced holes. Cylinders 1 and 2 connect at 5 byashort, semi-circular loop of pipe 8. Cylinders 2 and 3 are connected 1nthe same manner at 6. A little longer loop 10 connects the extreme holesof cylinder 2. A longer loop 11 connects the same holes of No. 3. Themouth-piece connects ivltthfsNo. 3 at 5, and the bell-pipe with No.

Various embodiments of my invention are shown in Figs. 3, 4L, 5 and 6.The upper end of the piston in Figs. 3, I and 5 is substantially thesame as in the piston in general use, having a stem 14 provided with abutton or key 15, a return-spring 16 set in the slotted upper end of thetube or piston barrel, and a bridge-plate 17 projecting through theslots, and serving as aseat for the spring. Suitable provision is madeto prevent the bridge from turning, but this is a wellknown device, andneed not be described.

The body of the piston is provided with a pair of semicircular conduits13 and 13 These conduits are formed of curved pieces of tubing, whoseopenings coincide with the holes in the piston, and are suitably securedinside the same as by soldering. In the type of piston shown in Fig. 6 asimple, flat plate 13 is used, the construction and at tachment of theconduits being similar, but

very simple mechanically. The abutting face of the receiving cylinder inthis case is a flat-guide-plate 2 in which the pistonplate slides, thecylinder being suitably depressed on one side, as shown. The variouslooped air-pipes connect with this flat guideplate in the same manner asto the cylindrical forms shown in other figures.

The pistons are shown in initial position in Figs. 1, 5 and 6, in whichcase open tones are produced, the air taking the shortest course,through the mouth-pipe loops 8 and 9 nd the bell-pipe. Fig. 4 shows thepiston of No. 2 depressed in which case the air must pass through loop10. Similarly the depression of the other pistons will cause the air topass through other loops 11 or 12 as the case may be. When the piston isin the initial position the conduit 18 is not in use, as will be evidentfrom Figs. 5 and 6.

The instrument is played in the same manner as horns in general use, theopen tones being the same, and those produced by fingering correspondingto those produced by the same fingering of the ordinary instrument. Thetones are clear and pure, and are produced with less effort than isrequired with other instruments. It is to be noted that the action ofthe keys is freer and more responsive than in other horns due in part tothe fact that the pistons, may be smaller, with a shorter stroke, yetwith equal air capacity.

In the matter of manufacture, the con struction has many advantages.Instead of the three parts in other pistons, the head, spring-barrel andpiston top, my piston and spring barrel in the cylindrical type, aremade from one piece of tubing, and that smaller than others, as abovementioned.

Whether of the cylindrical or flat type, the respective parts areduplicates, any piston fitting any cylinder of its type. This of coursegreatly simplifies manufacture one horing of holes, for example, servingfor all. As there is no diagonal disposition of air-ports, there need beno indentation of their walls anywhere, as is the common prac tice inthe construction of the ordinary instrument. So in the fitting,assembling and adjustment of parts, the operations are very simple,since the ports are all in a straight line, and the pistons need only tobe guided in such a line, and stopped at the proper terminals.

The invention is adapted for all hand and orchestra horns large orsmall, the size in any case corresponding to the size of the instrument.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a wind-instrument, a finger operated piston, having plural curvedconduits with aligned and equally-spaced inlets and outlets wholly inone side thereof.

2. In a wind-instrument, a linger-operated piston, having two conduitsequally spaced with aligned inlets and outlets wholly in one sidethereof, and an enclosing cylinder having four aligned holes registeringwith both ports in one position, and two holes registering with one portin the shifted position of the piston.

3. In a wind-instrument, linger-operated piston, having curved conduitswith aligned equally spaced inlets and out-lets wholly in one sidethereof, an enclosing cylinder therefor, having an equal number of holesregistering with said openings, and looped pipes of various lengthsconnecting with said holes.

In a wind instrument hzving a plurality of pistons in duplicate, eachprovided with a pair of curved conduits with aligned openings equallyspaced inlets and outlets wholly in one side thereof, a plurality ofduplicate cylinders with aligned holes in register Wljll an equal numberof said piston openings, a mouth-piece connecting with a hole of onecylinder, a hell-pipe connecting with the opposite corresponding hole ofthe cylinder farthest therefrom, and looped pipes of various lengthsconnecting corresponding holes in each cylinder, and opposite holes inpairs of cylinders.

5. Air-controlling mechanism for windinstrtunents, comprising triplecylinders, each pierced at one side only with four aligned air-holes,looped pipes of various lengths connecting the terminal holes of eachcylinder, short loops connecting two pairs of holes in differentcylinders in staggered order, a n'iouth-piece connecting with one of theremaining holes, and abell-pipe" connecting with the other, and pistonspro vided with curved conduits registering with all of the cylinderholes when opened to normal position, and re 'istering by a single portwith another pair of holes, when depressed.

6. In a wind-instrument, a slide-valve, having in one side only fouraligned equally spaced openings connected in pairs by curvedair-passages, and a guide for said valve, with like aligned and spacedopen lugs, and air-pipes leading therefrom.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALSON F. FAIRCHILD. lVitnesses Jnssn JJENKINS, CLAUDE Ponrnn.

